#polyrock

10/2/25.

Pitchfork's Sunday review is my most anticipated review of the week on their site. I usually get insight into an album that I either didn't know or didn't appreciate. In the case of Anna Domino "East and West", my ignorance falls into the didn't know category.

"East and West" was originally released in 1984 on Les Disques Du Crépuscule and here we are 41 years later and the most recent reissue is from 2023 and it's still on Les Disques Du Crépuscule (on Bandcamp this is available as a 2 CD set, but you can get a LP reissue on Discogs or elsewhere). It's hard to pin down Anna Domino (Anna Taylor). She lived all over - but mostly in Canada. But this album was created while living in New York. She lived across the street from Brian Eno, saw Nico and The B-52s live and was probably influence by any range of bands.

I can't help but hear Young Marble Giants - especially once you move past the opening track (which is an amazing cover of an Aretha Franklin song). She's assisted on the album by Virginia Astley, Blaine Reininger (Tuxedomoon) and Luc Van Acker.

Okie-doke, let's see:

1. Taliana

A. Auriana is the only person allowed to touch Talia without asking.

B. Xeris doesn't actually have kissing. Like, as a culture, it's not a thing they do. People from Volta kiss very casually, even among friends. Their first kiss, Talia still didn't realize Auriana liked her that way.

2. Irissy

A. Missy doesn't even actually like Nathaniel. She's been fixated on Iris since elementary school and she's working through a lot of internalized homophobia. It doesn't excuse what she's done, but Iris, who took until she was 18 to figure out she was bi, understands it.

B. In order to make up for being such a pill, Missy becomes the most devoted, nurturing, romantic girlfriend ever.

3. Lyna/Carissa (did we, as a fandom, ever actually name that ship?)

A. They've been arranged to be married since before they were born. A lot of their antagonism is a form of rebellion. Neither wants to admit they're starting to like the idea of being married.

B. Lyna tops.

4. Iristo

A. Mephisto freaking loves taking pictures with Iris. Goofy pictures, romantic pictures, "artistic" pictures (he messed up the focus and tried to cover for it with a grayscale filter) he just adores it!

B. The two of them have so many monster pets. Turns out you don't need dark crystal magic specifically to animate them, especially if one of you is the Queen of Ephedia.

5. Polyrock

A. Goddammit Iris, even Talia's caught on by now! Please just figure out that you like girls and your friends are into you! They're not even subtle about it! Jesus Christ!